While he's following in Fallon's footsteps, making the transition from Saturday Night Live to talk-show host, that's where the similarities end. He's ready to shake things up.

"I like that everyone before me has established this as a place to try things out," Meyers says in the new issue of Time, which features him on the cover. "It's 12.35 at night. You can do crazy stuff."

For Meyers, 40, that means that right now he's still working out what that crazy stuff will be.

While there still will be a monologue, a desk and celebrity interviews, Meyers isn't even sure if he'll have a DJ or a band. While Fallon loves music, Meyers is more into politics, sports and current events. "The defining thing with him is his intelligence and curiosity," says SNL and Late Night executive producer Lorne Michaels.

So expect more sketches, with Late Night staffers playing recurring characters, but his former SNL pal Amy Poehler says Meyers will be a natural when it comes to interviewing actors, authors, politicians and other celebs.

"He enjoys bringing the best out of people," she says. "Maybe it's his improv training, but he really knows how to make other people look good."